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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Protest in Orange County on Behalf of "Irvine 11"

Yesterday, a group of protesters showed up in front of the Orange County DA's Office to demand that there be no prosecution against those students who disrupted the speech of the Israeli ambassador to the US at UC-Irvine last February. The OC Register has the story and an accompanying video.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/speech-286546-event-students.html?plckOnPage=7

I see that the local Orange County Jewish Federation CEO is still getting his name in the papers over this issue. Too bad he can't just learn to say, "no comment". There is good news, however. The Register misspelled his name.


4 comments:

Miggie said...

Once again they play their well worn victim card. It is practically thread bare now that it has been used so often. They claim that this investigation is unprecedented oppression, a waste of tax payer time and money, selective enforcement, and has a CHILLING EFFECT on Free Speech (as though students in a college building have a Free Speech right to disrupt a campus event).

Personally, I hope it is so chilling that they voluntarily opt for more hospitable environs elsewhere, like Cairo or Gaza City. This is the way it is here.... don't like it? Go somewhere else... preferably where you came from.

Otherwise, Muslims everywhere in the US, acknowledge you are guests here. YOU are the foreigners. Don't seek to impose your values and cultures on us and don't try to twist our laws to suit your pathologies.
.

Gary Fouse said...

Matan,

Based on what I know (which is very little), I have no real comment to make on this topic. I prefer to let events play out. Should the DA office let outside pressure play a role in either charging or not charging someone, that would be unethical.

BTW: I have an idea events in Egypt might eventually have an impact on OTI. What do you think?

Siarlys Jenkins said...

Gary, are you getting Miggie confused with Matan?

Anonymous said...

Did you see the mass email JVP ("proud to be ashaed to be Jewish") sent out on this, begging for mercy for the disruptors of Oren? It was sent in the name of Emily ratner.

"When I stood up with four other young, proud Jews and interrupted Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech before the Jewish Federation's General Assembly in November, we knew it would upset and infuriate people--especially in my home community of New Orleans where the event took place.

But we did it anyway, inspired by the brave example of many people who took similar actions in the past, often at much greater risk. Some of the people who inspired us were 11 Muslim students at University of California-Irvine who earlier last year disrupted the talk of Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., as he defended his government's violations of human rights and war crimes in Gaza.

Remarkably, these Muslim students, who acted in the best tradition of human rights activists everywhere, may now face criminal charges. After the students were disciplined by the University, the Orange County District Attorney empaneled a grand jury which almost always leads to indictment on felony charges. The deadline for charging the students is this Monday, February 6. They need us to speak out on their behalf.


I can't help but notice the difference between how these Muslim students are being treated, and how we young Jews were treated. And perhaps, if you once took a stand like them, how you were treated."

It goes on and on and on. You know, she's right. She and her friends should have been arrested